Bhubaneswar: Odisha is likely to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall in several districts as a low pressure area formed over the northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining West Bengal-North Odisha coasts on Sunday morning, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

According to the IMD's morning bulletin, the low pressure area formed at 5.30 am under the influence of an upper air cyclonic circulation over the northwest Bay of Bengal.

The system is very likely to move northwestwards and become more marked during the next 24 hours, the IMD said.

The weather system is expected to bring heavy rainfall to several parts of Odisha, with the IMD issuing an orange warning for three districts.

Orange warning: Heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely at one or two places in Balasore, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts.

Yellow warning: Heavy rainfall is likely at one or two places in Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Sundargarh, Deogarh, Angul, Dhenkanal, Puri and Khordha districts.

The IMD has also forecasted thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty surface winds, with wind speeds reaching 30-40 kmph, at one or two places across a large number of districts.

These include Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Subarnapur, Boudh, Nuapada, Balangir, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Gajapati, Ganjam, Puri, Khordha and Nayagarh.